DNA Data Bank Oversight Panel

Minutes of meeting of September 11, 2019
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) Forensic Science Laboratory
Meriden, Connecticut

The meeting convened at 9:27 a.m.  Present at the meeting were Janet Ainsworth (Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) – Legal Affairs), Amy Bepko (Division of Criminal Justice), Scott Caroon (DESPP – Sexual Offender Registry Unit), Robert Dearington (Office of the Attorney General), Regina Herbert (Judicial Branch – Court Support Services Division), Carll Ladd (DESPP – Forensic Laboratory), Joe Lopez (Office of the Public Defender), David Maiga (Department of Correction), Colin Milne (DESPP – Legal Affairs), Megan Olt (DESPP – Forensic Laboratory), Kristin Sasinouski (DESPP – Forensic Laboratory), and Elizabeth Tugie (Department of Correction).

The minutes of the June 19, 2019, Oversight Panel meeting were unanimously approved. 

The Forensic Laboratory reported that 848 convicted offender samples have been submitted to the Lab since June 1, 2019, making a total of 125, 861 convicted offender samples received at the lab since as of September 1, 2019. Of these samples, 7, 028 were determined to be duplicate submissions.  One hundred eighteen thousand and twelve have been profiled and reside in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Approximately 514 convicted offender samples are waiting to be processed/entered into CODIS.

There are 14,398 evidentiary profiles in the Forensic Index as of September 1, 2019.  One thousand eight hundred and ten incomplete cases are assigned to the DNA Unit and 211 are assigned to Forensic Biology. 

The Lab reported that 6,163 investigations have been aided at this time by 6,194 confirmed hits. Approximately 90 candidate matches are under evaluation.  The average time it takes to send out notification of the hit once it has been obtained is 13 days (no change since last quarter).

The Judicial Branch reported that from April through June 2019 it sent 569 initial and warning letters to individuals to remind them of their obligation to provide DNA samples. They collected 330 samples. In 161 cases where probation was not imposed, Judicial sent letters to 82 individuals in an attempt to collect samples. Because some individuals had provided samples previously, Judicial determined that only 47 persons needed to provide samples. Judicial sent 6 memoranda to the Department of Correction advising them of the need to collect samples and sought 25 warrants for the failure of individuals to provide samples. 

The Department of Correction reported that is has collected 1,050 samples from inmates in the year-to-date. There are currently 106 inmates who have refused to provide a sample in violation of the Connecticut General Statutes. 

The meeting was adjourned at 10:13 a.m. 

The next quarterly DNA Data Bank Oversight Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, 2019, beginning at 9:30 a.m.